


If A Equals B

by covacola



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Confronting Mental Illness, Denial, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible Future Polyship Roadtrip, Stigma Against Mental Illness, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/covacola/pseuds/covacola
Summary: Based around the hc that there's still stigma against mental health issues in Insomnia. Prompto really worries about Noctis's mental health and decides that it's his job, as his, Ignis and Gladio's friend, to help them overcome that. But boy is denial one hell of a drug. May end up being polyship roadtrip later idk.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	If A Equals B

It was getting bad again. Prompto could tell the clouds were coming in. He and Noct had been joking around about something over homework at Noct's apartment. And like a sudden chilly breeze on a warm day, like a sudden bank of clouds overtaking the sun, something shifted and Noct was just kind of gone. His shoulders sagged a little, his whole body sagged a little. He looked away, off into the middle distance, as if something had lulled, not pulled, him away. Prompto debated. They didn't usually talk about heavy stuff. Well, not this early in the afternoon anyway. Talks at 3pm and 3am were totally different beasts, but... 

"Have you ever considered, I don't know, talking to someone?" He cringed. That sounded so hollow, so generic. So impersonal and rude. 

Noct blinked himself out of the momentary stupor. "Hm?"

"Like, uh, therapy maybe? Or something, I dunno--" Gods he shouldn't have said anything. 

"Whaddya mean?" Noct blinked at him, genuinely confused. "Therapy? For what?" 

Prompto stared at him, trying to get a read on how this was being taken. After a moment, he ventured, "you know... About your depression."

"I don't have depression."

It was quick, almost defensive. 

Oh boy. 

"I--"

"Why would you think I have depression?" Noct asked, clearly trying to sound nonchalant, joking. It still sounded hostile, and it made everything in Prompto tense. 

"I mean it's just..." He couldn't think what to say. He desperately wished he hadn't said anything. 

Noct bristled. "Prom, I know we joke but that shits serious," he said, rather stern. "That's not something to throw around."

Prompto considered. But this was bad, and he felt he needed to keep pushing. Letting it drop wouldn't be the end of the world, but it had to be addressed at some point. "Then... What do you think depression looks like?"

Noct shrugged, "worse than what I got going on." He waved a hand, but answered honestly, openly even. "I'm just lazy, I guess. Depression is way worse. Like constant, chronic fatigue I guess, for a start. Like, never feeling happy, constantly losing focus-- I mean, yeah I guess I see where you were going, but it's not nearly that bad." 

Prompto stopped him there. "You know you don't need to have severe depression to have depression right?"

Noctis actually seemed to flare with anger. "Prompto, I'm not depressed." 

"You've been... Mentally checking out more lately," he pressed. 

"I get distracted."

"And when it takes you a minute to recognize when we're talking to you? When you forget things as your doing them? Have trouble remembering things you were told seconds before?"

Noctis waved a dismissive hand, "distracted."

"Chronic fatigue," Prompto continued, switching gears, "you're saying--"

"I do not have chronic-- whatever." Noctis was clearly losing patience, but Prom found he wasn't ready to back down. In fact, he was only growing more concerned. "Yeah, I'm tired a lot. But I also sleep too much." 

"Why." It was a challenge, not a question, and Noct rose to it evenly. 

"It's a cycle! I sleep to much or stay up too late and it messes me up." 

"And how long have you been tired?"  
Noctis rolled his eyes, letting out a long huff. "Maybe if I just got up when Iggy and Gladio try to get me to get up--"

"So why don't you?" 

"I'm lazy!" Noct yelled. 

At this point, the door opened, and Prompto stopped himself from looking. He didn't know if it was Ignis or Gladio or both of them and he didn't care. He was about ready to bite their heads off. 

"The hell's goin on?" Gladio. 

"Nothing," Noct said firmly, tone indicating he was absolutely lying. 

Prompto stayed silent for a moment, collecting himself. He looked at Noct. Really looked at Noct. And Noct met his eyes. 

Apparently he'd been expecting Prom to look away, because something changed when Prompto didn't flinch. 

"There's nothing wrong with it either way," he said, cool as the surface of the Citadel fountains in January. 

"Of course not," Noct agreed, growing distant again. But he looked away first, and all three of them knew that meant something. 

Prompto got up. "Gonna head home," he mumbled. 

"No, Prom, wait--" 

"I'm not in a good head space," Prompto said, forcing himself not to react to Gladio reacting to that. 

Noctis let out a sound that was half annoyance, half anguish. This was getting to him. "Why are you so insistent--"

"I'm just worried," Prom said. Stopping in the living room, now avoiding looking at both Gladio and Ignis. He turned back so he could be heard better. "If it's nothing, it's nothing and I'll get over it, okay?" Gods he just wanted to smooth this all over. 

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He could tell Noct wanted to move on from this quickly too. 

But Prom couldn't just drop it. "I'm just worried," he repeated. Then he took a breath. "And maybe I'm biased. It took me years to accept--" he couldn't. Maybe to just Noct but he wasn't ready to bring Iggy and Gladio into this. Not yet. And Noct certainly wasn't ready either. 

Noct didn't say anything. None of them did. Prompto sighed, turning back toward the door. He had to get out of here because holy fuck. He knew mental illness was still a huge stigma in Lucian upper society but fuck. Somehow he hadn't thought.. them... Not them... Not Noct...

Whatever. He'd process it later, when he was in his own space. 

He didn't face them as he opened the door, but his voice was harsh. "And don't ask." 

In his peripherals, he saw Ignis and Gladio both jump. 

Gods this was awful.

But he didn't regret bringing it up now, surprisingly. 

**Author's Note:**

> This also stems from a hc that while Ignis and Gladio aren't hopeless when it comes to dealing with Noct's/their own mental health issues, they grew up in a similar enough situation to where if any of them have "blind spots" they all do. And Prompto is fuckin king of helping them work through it.


End file.
